Marine turbine.



K. ALQUIST.

MARINE- TURBINE. APPLICATION FILED APR.21,1916.

His qttoheg.

risente.

KARL MIQUIST, OF

COMANY, A. CORPORATION 0F NEW YORK.

` MARINE TURBINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July et, 1916.

Application led April 27, 1916. Serial No. 94,031.

of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Marine Turbines, of

which the following is a specification. l The present invention relates to marine turbines for propelling vessels, and in particular to vessels which are required to operate at different times at Widely diiferent speeds. Such a. condition is found, for example, in war vessels which for the greater part of the time, are operated at cruising speed, but at times are required to operate at higher or maximum speeds.

The object of the present invention is to provide an improved arrangement and grouping of turbines on ay vessel which will be economical to build and install and which will give a high eiiiciency, 'not only at cruising speed, but also at maximum speed, and at various speeds between cruising speed and maximum speed.

For .a consideration of what l believe to be novel and my invention, attention is directed to the accompanying specification and the claims appended thereto.

ln the accompanying drawing the ligure is a diagrammatic plan View of an installation embodying my invention, the same being shown in connection with a twin-screw system of propulsion.

42 and 3 indicate twin main turbines for propelling the vessel at maximum speed,

' each of which drives a propeller shaft l either directly or through speed reducing gearing. "lhe latter arrangement is preferable because the propeller-.(3 can be driven at its most favorable effective speed, while the turbine can be made relatively small and light and operated at a high and most favorable speed, thereby obtaining goed economy of operation. By arranging the gearing in the position shown it is always in service whether the ship is being driven at full, intermediate, or cruising speed. I have not illustrated the gearing in detail because its specific construction forms no part of the present invention. The turbines operate on the impulse plan and are preferably of the Curtis type because of their high economy andk decreased v veight, and moderate speed for 'a given output. Each turbine has a for- Ward driving element 7`,ncomprising, in the ALQUisT, a subpresent instance, one or more wheels 8 having 'a plurality of rows of peripheral buckets an one or more Wheels 9, each having a single row of peripheral buckets, said Wheels being mounted on the shaft 10. In the rear end of each turbine casing is located a reverslng element 1l, comprising one or more bucket Wheels mounted on the shaft 10. Both the forward driving and reversing elements exhaust through exhaust opening 12 to a condenser {not shown). 4

The extracting capacity of turbine buckets depends roughly on the square of their speed. That is to say, if the bucket speed be decreased one-half,.the energy range for equal extracting eiiiciency thereof Will be reduced to about one-fourth, hence the imortance of increasing the number of stages .or reduced speed operation, a feature which will be referred to later.

Each main turbine is provided with a set of nozzles 13 adapted in size and shape to receive high pressure boiler steam from the supply main 14 and convert a predetermined percentage of its pressure into velocity, which in turn is converted into useful Work by the rotating element, as is well understood. Between the various bucket wheels, each in a stage of its own, are stage nozzles -`l5 for converting pressure into velocity and dconveying steam between the stages in a manner Well understood. Each turbine may also be provided with an auxiliary or low pressure set of nozzles 16 adapted in shape and size to receive exhaust steam from a cruising turbine, to be described later, and convert a predetermined percentage of its pressure into velocity, which in turn is converted into useful Work by the rotating element. The .main and auxiliary nozzles receive their supplies of steam from separate v chests, the purpose of which will be referred to later. When operating at full speed and power the auxiliary set of nozzles 16 in each main turbine is cut out of service. They are, however, in service for cruising speed conditions. For full and high intermediate speed conditions the main admission nozzles only are in service. The main turbines are designed to give their maximum economy at nearly full or full speed of the ship.

Situated in line With the main turbines, and preferably forward thereof. to facilitate cutting the same into rind out of service, are'auxiliary vor cruising turbines '17 and.

' when the nn..

18 that are adapted to be connected to and disconnected from the mein turbine shafts by releassble clutch couplings 19 and 20. These turbines are pro *ided with bucket Wheels of such dizinieter as to eihciently eX- tract energ Y from the steam ut lower speeds of the ship. They risy be uncoupled from the main turbines when the lutter ere operating at high speed, or they muy have their cesings connected to a condenser, or other reion of lower pressure so as to avoid the rotation losses due to the rot-ation of the wheels Within their eesings. By uncoupling the cruising turbines when driving the vessel et highest speeds, l can multe their bucket speeds somewhat higher than would otherwise be possible, though it is generally desirable to have the bucket strongenough to withstand the highest speed they Would reach if the turbines were not disconnected. The cruising turbine 17 has high pressure admission nozzles Q1 adapted to convert a predetermined percentage or pressure yinto velocity vfhich'in turn is extracted by the buckets oi' the rotor. The exhaust opening oit cruising is connected. by wey of conduit admission nozzles 28 or' e 1d, which nozzles are designed to properly handle lower pressure steam, en exhaust opening oil cruising turbine i is connected by wey oi conduit and branch oonduils to the lont pressure "les 16 of mein turbines 2 und 13. A. wed in 'the conduits 25 und 26 nre suitable nonfreturn vulves Q53 sind 26?' which prevent steam from from the mein turbines bz2-.cir into the cruising turbines turbines are propelling the ship and the cruising turbines idle. The high pressure nozzles 13 of the main turn bines are connected to the supply mein 1s; by conduits 27 and 28 the reversing ele A" are connected thereto by conduits 29 and The high pressure nozzles 21 of cruising turbine 17 are eonected to the supply mein 14 by conduit 51. Tn euch of the conduits 27, 28, 29, 3G und 31, are suit-able valves 27a, 28a, 29a, 30a und 31a for controlling the flow through them. ln connection with the cruising turbine 17 is provided e bypass conduit which is connected at one end to the exhaust conduit 22 und has branches 33 and 3 which connect with the cruising 'turbine at two spaced intermediate points. it is provided with valves and 36. By opening one or both of these vulves lower stages oi: the cruisingturbine 17 can be bypassed, as will be explained more fully hereinafter. Also the cruising turbine 18 is provided with s by-"loess conduit 37 having e. valve 88 therein. By opening this valve n number oi the first of cruising turbine 18 can be 1oy-pnssed.

is n pipe which is provided with e. vulve l l0 und which connects the conduit 24 to the exhaust end of one of the main turbines, in the present instance main turbine 2. When the euxiliary turbines 17 and 18 are running idle the valve is opened and the non-return valves 25a and 26a closed. This Will connecttlie oasings of the cruising turbines to the condenser of the mein turbine or turbines so that the Wheels of the cruising propel the vessel at its maximum speed. .For reverse operation, the valves 27aL and 28 are closed and the valves 29a and 30 opened. This admits live steam. to the reversing elements 11 to propel the vessel in a reverse direction as is Well, understood. When it is desired to propel the vessel at cruising speed the valves 27, 28a, 29L and 3()a are closed and the vulves 25, 26, and 31a are opened. This will `admit live steam to the nozzles 21 of the cruising turbine 17. If the lowest cruising speed is desired the valves 35, 36 and 38 are kept closed. The steam then passes through all the stages of the cruising turbine 17 thence by Way of conduit 22 to the nozzles 23 of cruising turbine 18. It then passes through all the stages of cruising turbine 18, after which it passes through conduit 24 to the branch conduits 25 and 26, and thence to the low pressure nozzles 16 of the mein turbines 2 and 3. vThe separate auxiliary nozzles 16 of the main turbines are -pr vided so as to avoid the possibility of live steam getting back to the cssings of the cruising turbines. It the same nozzles were used in the main turbines for boiler steam and also exhaust steam from the cruising turbine, Whenever the boiler steam. was ad mitted to the chest supplying said nozzles, it might find its Way past the non-return valves 25a and 26a back to the casings of the cruising turbines.

`With the arrangement for cruising as just described, all the Wheels of both the cruising turbines and the main. turbines are in service so that the lowest speed of the propeller shafts is obtained. If now a slightly higher speed is desired, the valve 35, for exemple, is opened so as to by-pass the last stages of 'the/cruising turbine 16. This outs a number of wheels o'seid cruising turbine outl of action, in the present inn stance', so that e higher speed may novv be eiiciently obtained. Instead of opening the valve 35 the valve 38 might be opened,

path of least resistance. If a still higher intermediate speed is desired'then the valves 35 and 88 may both be opened, thereby bypassing the latter` stages of the cruising 'turbine 17 and the first stages of the cruising turbine 18, and if a still higher speed is desired then the valve 36 may also be opened thus by-passing still more stages of the cruising turbine 17. As will be understood,

any degree of refinement maybe provided in connection with the ley-passing of stages of the two cruising turbines. In the simplest form for example, I may provide only a single by-pass in connection with oneof the cruising turbines. This Awould give then one eiicient intermediate speed which may in many cases be suflicient, or I may provide one by-pass in connection with each of the cruising turbines, or more than one, as may be found desirable.

The above described arrangement has the advantage that the cruising turbines need be .provided with but one set of admission nozzles` and these may be designed for the most efficient operation at the pressures for which they are to be used; i. e. the cruising turbine 17 has a single set of high pressure admission nozzles Ql, while the cruising turbine 18 has a single set of low pressure admission nozzles 23. By this arrangement I can also have complete peripheral admission for the elastic fluid foreach of the cruising turbines so that all the buckets ofthe wheels are in action all the time.

In accordance with the provisions of the patent statutes, Il have Adescribed the prin?v ciple of operation of my invention, together with the apparatus which I now consider to i represent the best embodiment thereof; but I desire to have it understood that the apparatus shown is only illustrative, and that the invention can be carried out by other means. l. A

lVhat I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is

1. In a system of ship propulsion, the combination of main turbines arranged to propel the ship at maximum speed, cruising turbines arranged to coperate with the main turbines to propel the ship at speeds below the maximum, means for connecting the cruising turbines in series with each other as regards the flow of steam and to supply the exhaust therefrom in parallel to the main turbines for lower speeds of the ship, and means for by-passing one or more stages of a cruising turbine for speeds be? tween 'the maximum and the lower speeds.

2. In 'a system of' ship propulsion, the combination of main turbines arranged to propel the ship at maximum speed, main and auxiliary nozzles for the turbines, 'the former being adapted in size and shape to receive live Asteam and the latter exhaust steam, cruising turbines -arranged to cooperate with the main turbines to propel the ship at speeds below the maximum, means arranged to connect the cruising turbines serially as regards the fiow of steam and'to supply the exhaust therefrom to the auxiliary nozzles of the main turbines in parallel for lower speeds of thehship, and means for by-.passing one or more stages of a cruising 'turbine for speeds between the maximum and the lower speeds.l e

3. In a system of ship propulsion, the combination of main turbines arranged to propel the ship at maximum speed, cruising turbines arranged to coperate with the mainturbines to propel the ship at speeds below the maximum, means for connecting -the cruising turbines in series withv each other as regards the flow of steam and to supply the exhaust therefroin in parallel to the main turbines for lower speeds of the ship, means fer by-passing one or more stages of a cruising turbine for speeds between the maximum and the lower speeds, and means for connecting the casings of the cruising turbines to a region of lower pressure when the ship is running with the rruisingturbines idle.

4. In a system of ship propulsion, the

combination of main turbines arranged vto propel the ship at maximum speed, cruising turbines arranged to coperate with the main turbines to propel the ship at speeds below the maximum, means for connecting the cruising turbines in series with each otheras regards the flow of steam and tosupply the exhaust therefrom in parallel to the main turbines for lower speeds of the ship, and by-passing conduits in connection with each of the cruising turbines for shunting elastic fluid around one or more stages of such turbines for intermediate speeds of the ship.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand this 26th day of April 1916.

KARL ALQUIST. 

